The Power of a Morning Routine to Set Your Day up for Success
Most of us are creatures of habit, whether we want to admit it or not. Although it may sound boring or unadventurous, having healthy routines can actually benefit us greatly.
I just took a 3-week *unplanned* hiatus from the routines I normally do daily that sustain and nourish my mental and physical health, and it made a significant difference. My days were less productive, I felt more scattered, I wasn’t feeling motivated, my negative self-talk was higher, and my overall mood was lower. I knew I was in a funk, but couldn’t figure out the ‘why’ behind it. Was it the endless winters and gray days in VT? Was I not getting the sleep I needed? Did I need more iron and vitamin D?
Just to paint a picture of some of the healthy routines I *try* to do daily, it looks something like this:
For my morning routine: I wake up, lie in bed and relax for a few minutes while I envision an intention I want to embrace for my day. This is different from a to-do list, it’s more of a word that I want to embody, like “peace”, “courage”, “confidence”, “ease”, “patience”. Either in bed or out of bed, I then do a morning meditation (guided or not) for 10-15 minutes. After this, I head to the kitchen and make myself a warm beverage of water with either a teaspoon of honey & squeeze of lemon or a dash of cinnamon & a squeeze of orange. If all is going as planned, I drink this *mindfully* either in front of the wood stove, at the kitchen table looking at the mountain view, or on the porch in the summertime. After this, I have a nourishing breakfast of oatmeal, smoothie, cereal, or egg sandwich and start my day on the right foot! The days I can factor in these steps are without a doubt, hands-down, just overall better. I’m more happy, tolerant, focused, motivated, and kind (to myself and others). In doing this morning routine, I have created a foundation for a good day.
During the day, in times of duress, I will bring my chosen intentional word to mind as needed. I bring awareness and mindfulness into my actions as often as I can remember to. It’s a practice and a habit that is like a muscle that works better when strengthened. By not practicing mindful awareness in my day, or after several days (or 3 weeks!) I begin to have doubt, dissatisfaction, worry, and more negative thinking.
At night, I wind down about 30-60 minutes before bedtime. Sometimes I’ll make myself a cup of warm herbal tea or cocoa and sit next to the fire. Sometimes I’ll reach for my book and read. Sometimes I’ll lie on the floor on my back and just ‘be’, focusing on relaxing my muscles and mind. Most nights I will do a brain-dump of my to-do list for the next day onto a piece of paper so I’m not thinking about it when I’m lying in bed. Sometimes I do all of the above. Once in bed, I reflect back on my day and what I am grateful for. I have a post-it note next to my bed that asks “What am I grateful for today?”
The way I see it, every day has a spiral, either up or down. It's like one choice impacts the next, until our day is either going down or up. If we’re spiraling down, it takes conscious thought and active implementation of strategies that work to begin to spiral back up again. Having healthy routines in place can begin our day on an upward spiral and set us up for success. It’s easy to fall out of a routine or habit and it takes work to reestablish it. Ask yourself, “Why am I doing this in the first place?” and think about how it makes you feel…energized, content, satisfied, at ease, patient, level-headed, grounded.
Your routine may look nothing like mine, but as long as it sets your day up for an upward spiral, that’s all that matters. Not every day is perfect, but it’s progress and consistency, not perfection that matters.
What are some habits or routines that you do that set you up for success? What do you do when you notice your day spiraling downward? Let me know in the comments below!
